Snow-sweeper



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 1.1". BAKE-R8; R. BOOTH.

SNOW SWEEPBR.

No. 444,871. Patented Jan. 20, 1891.

A TTOHNEY.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

1. r. BAKER & R. BOOTH.

SNOW SWEBPER.

Patented (12111.20, 1891.

llVl/E/VTOI? Isaac 173W WITNESSES.-

ATTORNEY.

NED STATES PATENT FFICE.'

ISAAC EBAKER, OF LYNN, AND ROBERT BOOTH, OF MALDEN, MASSACHU- SETTS, ASSIGNORS TO THE THOMSON-HOUSTON ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF CONNECTICUT.

SNOW SWEEPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 444,871, dated January 20, 1891. Application filed January 29, 1890. Serial No. 3353, 141. (N model.)

To all whom it may concern: driving mechanism therefor. Figs. 3 and 4 Be it known that we, ISAAC F. BAKER and show the bearings for the snow broom or brush ROBERT BOOTH, both subjects of the Queen and the manner of raising and lowering the of Great Britain, and residents of Lynn, in same relatively to the track. Fig. 5 is alon- 5 the county of Essex and State of Massaehugitudinal section through the snow-broom setts, and Mal len, county of Middlesex and shaft. showing the construction of the same. State of Massachusetts, respectively, havein- Fig. 6 is a transverse section through the same vented certain new and useful Snow-Sweepshaft, and likewise illustrates the construcers, of which the following is a specification. tion. Figs. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 show details 10 This invention relates to rotary sweepers of the snow-broom.

for use in clearingstreets and roadways-such In Fig. 1, F is the supportingframe or platas surface railways-from snow or dirt, butis form for the mechanism and may be mounted more particularly applicable to snow-sweeplike the sill or truck of a car and in any suiters for railways, and especially street-railable way so as to be supported or carried by r 5 ways in which the cars or vehicles are prothe car-wheels above the same. I prefer to polled by a self-carried motor, as an electric support the mechanism on a car sill or platinotor supplied froman outside sourcethrough form.

a line-conductor, as now well understood in M M indicate the usual propelling electric the art. motors underneath the car and geared or con- 20 The object of the invention is to secure an nected to the axle in any usual or proper manelfective apparatus for clearing the tracks of ner. The whole structure should be very 7o accumulations of snow, and the apparatus is solidly and substantially made, so that it will so constructed that deposits of considerable stand great strains and accomplish the heavy amount can be dealt with, and its capacity work for which it is intended without danger 25 for clearing the tracks of such accumulations of breakdowns or accidents occurring.

is far superior to that of apparatus drawn by At each end of the car and mounted on suphorses or mules. ports depending from the frame F are rotary A further object of the invention is to sesnow-brooms B B, as shown, arranged transcure entire independence of the power for versely above the track and at an angle, so

0 propelling the car along the street and the that the snow is swept off to one side of the powerfor operating'the snow broom orbrushtrack by the rapid rotation of the broom, this that is, rotatingitboth of these separate and rotation being produced byan electric motor distinct power mechanisms being wholly M, of any suitable description, mounted upon under the control of the engineer or drivers, the top of the car-truck, connection being 3 5 one or more. made by gearing, belts, or chains to the shafts Our invention consists in the organization of the snow-brooms B B. In the drawings a 8 5 and combinations of apparatus hereinafter chain is shown, as this is preferred on account described, and specified in the claims. 7 of its effectiveness and positive action.

The invention consists in the manner of Gurrent-controlliug arrangements of any 0 supporting the brushes for rotation, the man suitable description for the motors M M are ner of rotating them, and in the general arindicated at O 0, one of the handles shown 0 rangement of the car-truck, motor, and conbeing used for reversing the connections and trolling mechanism, as hereinafter described. the other interposing more or less resistance In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is in the circuit through the motors M M" to 4 5 a side view illustrating the snow-sweeper regulate their speed and power. Brakes SS,

, car-truck and the attendant mechanism fashoperated by the brake-wheel S control the 5 ioned after the manner of the invention. stopping of the car, as usual. The motor M Fig. 2 is a plan of the same, illustrating the for driving the snow-brooms is mounted in the relative arrangement of the brooms and the platform or frame F, as seen in Fig. 2, audits .B as is the motor M to the snow-broom B that is, parallel thereto. A reduction or increase of the speed may be made at this counter-shaft if desired. The chain belt K leads through a hole in the car-floor to the shaft of the snow-broom B for its rotation. I have shown a counter-shaft as an intermediate mechanism between the motor M and brush B, whereby the speed may be reduced or increased so as to differ from that of brush B, driven from the same motor; but it will be obvious that any other mechanism suitable for producing such difference of speed might be employed.

The shaft D of the motor M is provided with a suitable clutch E, Fig. 2, operated by the lever L, Fig. 1, whereby either one or the other of the snow-brooms B B may be revolved at will. The motor M is preferably housed or boxed in securely, as indicated in Fig. 1, to protect it from flying snow, from rain, &c., while it is still accessible, and is also provided with anysuitable or usual electrio-controlling devices, whereby its speed or power may be governed independently of the propelling-motors M.

Such a snow-broom can be used upon electric railways operated either upon an overhead or conduit system of current delivery or distribution; but as the overhead system is the one at present in extensive use the truck is shown as arranged to take current from an overhead wire it, Fig. 1, by the usual form of trolley T.

I) D are rock-shafts suitably mounted, from which depend the hangers in which the broom-shafts revolve. The suspension is from arms'D extending from the rock-shafts, so that by turning the shafts the brooms may be raised. Actuatingdevers L L are attached to the rock-shafts and work in suitable segmental guides H11 above the platform, in which guides or segments they can be locked by means of pins 17 p. The hangers for the broom-shaft have the usual or proper shaftbearings or journal-boxes M and are provided with suspension-rods a, which are pivoted to the j ournal-box heads and extend upward for attachment to the rock-shaft arms D from which they are pivotally suspended. Guides N'N depend from the sill and are engaged by guide-rods g, connected to the hangers, as shown. These suspending and guiding devices extend down below the sill or platform as short a distance as practicable, so as to be kept as far from the truck as possible. By

thus constructing the parts and supporting them from the platform above the wheels we avoid the liability to breakage of the supporting and guiding devices for the broom from contact with obstacles beneath the car by rocking of the car in transit.

To provide for easy renewal of the brushsplints and convenient repair of the rotary broom and its parts,we construct the same in the following manner: The cylindrical stock or head 13, in which the splints are secured, is made in a number of sections or segments Z), so that it may be detached from the shaft or its backing without removing the shaft from its bearings, and the several segments maybe built up around and secured to the shaft or parts carried thereby after renewal of the splints. The splints of the snow-broom may be made of rattan, or similar elastic and tough material, or of metal in certain instances. The former is preferred. The splints are driven into holes in sections of the stock, this construction permitting the removal of worn or defective sections and the insertion of others without dismantling the entire broom, as was formerly necessary.

The broom-shaft, or the hub in which the segments 1) rest or around which they are disposed,is constructed preferably as follows: Mounted on an iron shaft 8, so as to be incapable of turning thereon, are heads h, which are provided with sockets to receive the ends of an intermediate iron tube 25, surrounding the shaft. The shaft may be square and pass through square openings in the heads, as shown; but its outer ends are turned down to form journals, so that the shaft may turn in the bearings M To form the hub or backing for removable segments Z2, sections of hub 1), preferably of wood, are clamped in position together around the shaft and between the heads by means of bolts d running the entire length of the shaft and extending through the heads 72, the Whole being drawn up firmly by nuts, Fig. 5. Upon this hub or backing, square or angular in form, are superimposed the sections 1) b of the stock, which latter are held down upon-the hub formed as above by means of clamps 70, preferably fastened down upon the heads. The segments being thus held down against radial movement on the flat bearings provided by the hub are prevented from shifting circumferentially around the shaft or hub. The clamps are preferably applied at the points where the segments of the brush-stock adjoin. The heads may have offsets on their inside, as shown, which, as indicated in Fig. 12, may also serve to hold the segments against rotation while forming bearings for the clamps and clamp screws or bolts. To remove any section b it is only necessary to loosen the two clamps 7c at the opposite ends.

Fig. 7 is an end view of the head h from the inside, showing the openings for the reception of the square shafts and boltholes, &c.

Fig. 8 is a part section through the head It, showing more clearly the shouldered receptacle for the tube 15.

Figs. 9,10, and 11 are different views of the clamp 70.

By building up the hub or bearing of wood to receive the brush-stock we obtain lightness, and by making the heads longitudinally movable with relation to one another on the shaft we permit the shaft or hub to be readily dismantled for repair.

WVhile we have shown the hub made up of sections 1') as square, it is quite obvious that it might have a greater or less number of angles or sides and be of equal utility in permitting the sections of the brush-stock to be firmly clamped against displacement. A foursided hub and a four-segment stock will be found, however, to serve admirably.

The construction of the broom in the manner herein described is not specifically claimed, as it forms the subject of another application for patent filed by us March 10, 1890, Serial No. 3,222.

What we claim as our invention is- 1. 111 a railway snow-clearing apparatus, the combination, with the two rotary brushes or snow-clearing devices, of a motor geared to such brushes through devices for rotating the brushes at different speeds, and a clutch whereby the motor may be connected to either brush.

2'. The combination, in a railway-sweeper,

of one or more propelling electric motors, two

rotary brooms, an electric motor independent of the propelling-motor, driving-gear between the same and the brooms, and a clutch whereby said motor may be geared to either broom,

3. The combination, in a railway-sweeper, of an electric motor connected to a suitable shaft through a speed-reducing gear, a rotary broom geared to said shaft directly, and a second broom geared to said shaft through a counter-shaft, as and for the purpose described.

t. In a rotary snow-sweeper for electric railways, the combination of an electric n10- tor mounted on a platform over the wheels, hangers depending from such platform beneath the same, and a rotary brush mounted on said hanger and belted to a shaft actuated by said motor.

5. The combination, with the horizontal rotary broom and the hangers in which the broom-shaft is mounted, of guides for said hangers depending from a car sill or platform above the wheels, and a horizontal rock-shaft from which said hangers are suspended.

Signed at Lynn, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, this 23d day of J anuary, A. D. 1890.

ISAAC F. BAKER. ROBERT BOOTH. Witnesses:

JOHN W. GIBBONEY, H. H. HILL. 

